cliff. Itwas completely washed away by tsunami waves, leaving only the foundations. Matsushima, designated a Special Place of Historic
Beauty,was impacted heavily. Matsushima is a group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture, and is one of the three most famous historic landscapes in Japan. The place is also known aswhere Haiku poet Matsuo Basho wrote his poem “Matsushima” as part of his travelogue NarrowRoad toDeep North. The “singing sands” of Kugunarihama and
Kukunakihama beaches are protected as natural treasures, andwere hit by tsunami waves as rubble drifted to the beaches. Singing sands can onlymake soundwhen they are clean, and it is feared that these sands will never sing again. The JapaneseArchaeologicalAssociation reported
that 241 archaeological sites in the coastal region of Iwate Prefecture alone had been completely covered by water. It is also important to mention the damages to the archives, books andmuseum objects. Some were washed away by the tsunami, some were soaked in muddywater, and otherswere damaged by tremors or subsequent fire in the buildings. The extent of the damage and loss are yet to be known. ProfessorHideto Tsuji of TohokuGakuin University told MainichiNews that there are cultural properties that require urgent repair in the Fukushima radiation exclusion zone. An ACA report published in April stated that
although post-earthquake inspection identified some buildings as repairable, they were nevertheless demolished on the initiative of local authorities – for health and safety reasons. Due to a lack of a clear understanding of themeaning of post-earthquake inspection, some people assumed that buildings identified as “dangerous structures” would need to be pulled down immediately.
I
n the wake of the disaster, ACA set up two initiatives: one for movable cultural assets, and the other for historic buildings. The Cultural Property RescueOperation deals with movable cultural assets and artworks, regardless of their statutory protection status. It aims to repair the damaged
objects and temporarily relocate them to other cultural facilities unaffected by the earthquake. ACA arranged for conservators and other specialists from across Japan to carry out this work in co-ordination with local authorities. It is expected to run until 2012. The Cultural Property Buildings Recovery
Operation (referred to by some as the Cultural PropertyDoctor Recruitment Operation) was set up to inspect historic buildings in the region and assess the degree of the damage, as well as to provide technical guidance for future repairs. Similar to the Cultural Property RescueOperation, ACA sent specialists to the affected areas for this task. It is effective until March 2012. The post-disaster recovery and reconstruction plan, which covers more than heritage conservation, is being undertaken by Architectural Institute of Japan together with government, and including the ACA and local authorities. There are a number of public and non-public
organisationswhich set up post-disaster recovery projects. One of the most prominent organisations which initiated the programme for the protection of cultural and natural heritage in the wake of the disaster is JapanNational Trust. The trust established three principles for recovery: revive community symbols, secure donations, and set up partnerships. It has set a long-termtimescale for this work, more than 10 years.
Left, before the tsunami streets in Rikuzentakata boastedmany historic, though unlisted, houses. Below, the city after the disaster
Similarly, the Japanese Archaeological Association
has set up theGreat East Japan Earthquake Recovery Measure Special Committee. The Association noted thatmost of theworkload will focus on collecting information, assessing the condition of buildings, and campaigning for donations. Generally,methods to mitigate earthquake damage
are highly regulated and well thought-out in Japan; however, this has often not applied to the care of historic buildings. Since the Great Hanshin Earthquake (the Kobe earthquake) of 1995, ACA has been workingwith various organisations on the improvement of earthquake prevention in historic buildings, and this has proven effective. For example, as seen in the Ozaki Hachimangu Shrine, earthquake prevention methods, as actually put into
action,were effective and prevented greater loss to the historic fabric. However, the scale of this year’s catastrophic
tsunami made any prevention plans almost redundant. Unfortunately, some of the systems put in place to allowfor assessing the condition of listed buildings for repairs broke down in the aftermath of the disaster, and some buildings that could have been repaired were lost. But, overall, it appears that the government acted quickly, and heritage organisations are following its lead well.Work to preserve cultural heritage in the area continues.
Thewriter is an historic buildings consultantwith Donald Insall Associates, and has studied heritage initiatives around the world.
Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 3 2011 67
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